Talk:The Diamond of the Day/@comment-1.44.214.115-20121226153147/@comment-5621713-20121226201635
Well said. I agree with most of your comments. There were so many loose ends, themes, storylines, character arcs, etc...that should have been fleshed out. The deaths of heros and enemies were rushed, given the amount of time they spent causing trouble and deaths of the good guys. Most of all, I also wished that the writers et al had broken with tradition and legend regarding Arthur's death. One would think that being the most powerful sorcerer of all time, and the Last Dragon Lord, would have given Merlin the power to heal his injured friend, regardless of the blade being dragon forged...the Last Dragon Lord should have that power. We can't be surprised at Arthur's death, even if we wish it hadn't happened, or happened differently. We were warned of Arthur's Bane. In the end, it was Arthur's bane that caused his death. The never ending circle of fate was at work. We were warned that it would be Arthur's own actions and decisions that would cause his demise. In "The Disir", was a pivotal episode (even if it didn't feel that way the first time I watched it). It was then that Merlin made the fatal decision to tell Arthur that there was no place for magic in Camelot, thinking that the Disir would then refuse Arthur's request to have Mordred's life spared. When they retured to Camelot to find Mordred totally recovered, the "nails went in the coffin" so to say....it was clear to us, and Merlin that Mordred would be the instrument of Arthur's punishment by the Triple Goddess in the guise of Morgana and Mordred. Merlin knew his mistake, yet didn't didn't seem to be able to do anything about it. All four episodes of Gwen being made into Morgana's puppet was a waste of valuable time that could have been used to accomplish a more satisfying end to this amazing series. So we were warned that it would be Arthur's own actions that would lead to his death at Mordred's hand. That was in part his refusal to do as the Disir asked, and how he handled Mordred's request not to kill Kara. Even though Arthur did give her a chance to save herself, that wasn't witnessed by Mordred, he didn't know that it even happened. Had Arthur called them both to speak to him together, Mordred would have seen that Arthur was being very reasonable. Merlin knew that how this situation was dealt with would have a huge impact on the timing of the prophecy. And, Once Mordred left Camelot, he would only become more and more dangerous. Merlin should never have let him leave alive. Merlin had killed enemies before, that bridge had been crossed. He should have outright killed Mordred in order to stop the ever churning wheels of fate. The final evidence of Arthur's Bane being his downfall was when Arthur got up on the battlefield, clashed swords, but then let his guard down when he realized it was Mordred. It was as if he believed that when Mordred realized it was him, he would not strike him. That was his fatal decision. If you go back to The Sword and the Stone, to when Arthur realized that Agravine had betrayed him, he laments about what a bad judge of character he was, that he should have been wiser, more discerning when it came to Morgana, Agravaine, and others whose deception he was blind to. He doubted his ability to be King because of these perceived failings. He knew that Mordred left Camelot, and suspected that he joined up with Morgana. When he sees Mordred on the battlefield he knew he was fighting for Morgana. Why did he let down his guard? Did he think that when he and Mordred stood there face to face that Mordred would suddenly forgive him and put down his sword? Arthur's Bane! Another point I'd like to make is what about Arthur and Gwen. We saw the love that drove them together despite many obstacles. We saw it again when he took her to the Dolma to win her back from Morgana. And, we saw it between them when Gwen told him that she was travelling with them so that if anything were to happen to Arthur, she would be with him in his last days. We saw Gwen's reactions when they couldn't find Arthur after the battle, and how she waited and worried. But, we didn't see or hear how Arthur felt about leaving the love of his life. The only mention of Gwen is when he gave Giaus the royal seal, and says that he could think of know one else who would better succede him. He didn't send any personal message to the woman who was the love of his life. We know that this story was an ultimate "bromance". I loved Merlin and Arthur's last two day journey to Avalon. The time was well spent seeing Bradley James doing a masterful job of processing his servant and best friend's huge secret life. "The reveal" as the fans call it, was wonderfully done by both actors. I don't mind at all that we see how much these two friends love each other and are finally able to be fully honest with each other. When Arthur thanks Merlin, I get teary. Then when he asks him to hold him, well that just breaks my heart. I imagine how wonderful it would have been if they actually had a few years together after the reveal to really accomplish everything they wanted to...to work together as partners, or at least with Merlin being Arthur's advisor, and not just a servant. Though, Merlin certainly doesn't mind serving Arthur, it was his destiny. Finally, the whole series is based on Merlin's role in helping Arthur to build peaceful, fair, and just land of united kingdoms. The kingdoms weren't united, and the show ends with a war. Merlin's destiny is Arthur, and Arthur died as a young man. Merlin had the benefit of the prophecy, and the gift of the most powerful sorcery. But, even having all this, he couldn't save the man he was destined to serve. We were warned, we were given hope. We saw the prophecy unfold infront of us. I suppose one thing was true. With the amazing power that Merlin/Emrys showed at the battlefield, he was fully capable of protecting the Camelot that he and Arthur had worked on once Arthur became king. Maybe the kingdoms weren't united yet, but Arthur and Merlin had made all the changes in Camelot that had made Uther's ghost so angry. We just saw a war with the Saxons who retreated but were still there. A lot of good had been done. Gwen would continue to follow the principles that she and Arthur shared. And, Merlin is powerful enough to protect Camelot throughout the times ahead. Maybe that is part of the message of the last scene. Merlin stayed there, maybe he went between Camelot and Avalon protecting the kingdom and the king that he loved so much.